The Chesterfield football history resource

Of
all Chesterfield's players, Harry Clifton came closest to playing for England
while technically still a Spireite. He was Reserve for his country for their
match in Germany on May 14th., 1938.This game lives in infamy as the one where
England's players were told to give the Nazi salute to Hitler before the
kick-off by supine members of the Football Association. A few weeks later Harry
was sold to Newcastle for a club-record fee.

A
natural athlete, full of high spirits and infectiously cheerful, Harry was a
permanent tonic to all who came to know him. An early discovery of Harry
Dormand, Chesterfield's scout in the north-east, Clifton had tried out
unsuccessfully with West Bromwich and was playing for Scotswood when
Chesterfield moved in for him ,in August 1933.

He
made rapid progress through the reserves at Saltergate and, after one or two
first-team games, began a regular run in the side on New Year's Day,
1935.Originally an inside-left, Harry was a key member of the '35-6 Third
(North) championship side, but was left out of the team when it opened its
Division Two campaign the following season. He was recalled, to the
inside-right berth, with the club struggling and, under the tutelage of the
experienced Joe Spence, helped the team to safety. In that season's Derbyshire
Senior Cup match, he managed to score for both sides within about thirty
seconds! Clifton finished as the club's top scorer in '37-8, with 26 goals;
this brought him to the attention of England's selectors and Newcastle's
scouts. Returning to his native north-east for a record fee received for
Chesterfield, Harry took life at St. James's Park in his stride and looked well
set for a long career with the Magpies when war intervened.

Before
embarking for four years' army service in the Middle East he played and scored
in England's first wartime international. After one post-war season at
Newcastle and three at Grimsby he retired from the full-time game and returned
to Chesterfield to work at Sheepbridge and the Tube Works before a spell at the
Arkwright Colliery. In March, 1968, Harry was invited to become the first
Steward of the newly-built Saltergate Club. In later years he returned to
Tyneside and died in Newcastle in 1998, at the age of 84.